Men’s Basketball Aims for Eighth Win at Boston University (Dec. 21; 7 p.m.)

Monday, December 21

Boston, Mass.

7 PM

University of New Hampshire

Boston University

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Photo by: Elise Austin-Washburn

Men’s Basketball Aims for Eighth Win at Boston University (Dec. 21; 7 p.m.)

12/20/2015 10:26:00 AM | Men's Basketball

DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire men's basketball team visits Boston University on Monday, Dec. 21 (7 p.m.) at Case Gym to kick off the final two non-conference games this season.

Cat Facts

New Hampshire is coming off a 76-56 win over Dartmouth College at Lundholm Gymnasium.
Sophomore Tanner Leissner (Converse, Texas) scored 19 points against the Big Green, and paces the team in scoring (15.3 points) and rebounding (6.9 rebounds).
The Wildcats limited the Dartmouth offense to 28.1 percent (16 of 57) shooting from the field.
UNH toppled the Terriers a year ago (Nov. 25) in a 75-68 win at home.
During non-conference play last season, the Wildcats went 7-6, a mark already matched this season.
The last time the 'Cats won seven non-conference games back-to-back was in 1982-83 and 1983-84.
With a win, the Wildcats will record the most wins in non-conference play in program history.

The State of New Hampshire
New Hampshire defeated intrastate rival Dartmouth (Dec. 19) 76-56 for the state crown and the team's third 20+-point victory this season. Leissner led with 19 points on 6 of 9 shooting, two threes and five free throws. Senior Ronnel Jordan (San Antonio, Texas) tallied a career-high 17 points (7 of 11) and six rebounds. Junior Jacoby Armstrong (Sachse, Texas) recorded 12 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Iba Camara (Dakar, Senegal) was one-point shy of a double-double in a nine point, 12 rebound effort in the win.

The Wildcats held Dartmouth to 28.1 percent (16 of 57) shooting from the field and 6-for-20 on 3-pointers. The first half was all UNH as they led 36-19 at the break. Junior Joe Bramanti (Andover, Mass.) recorded a career-high eight assists to lead New Hampshire to an 18-3 assist advantage.

Leissner paces the offense with 15.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Junior Jaleen Smith (Freeport, Texas) ranks second in scoring (13.1 points) and third in rebounding (6.0 rebounds). Armstrong has been solid this season starting half of his 10 games played. The tri-captain averages 11.6 points and 4.4 boards a game. Junior Daniel Dion (Cedar Park, Texas) and Camara tally 10.4 and 10.1 points, respectively, per contest while Camara averages 10.3 rebounds to lead the team.

Scouting the Terriers
Boston University is entering this matchup off an 84-68 loss to Canisius College (Dec. 19) in Buffalo, N.Y. The Terriers were led by Eric Fanning who scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Guard John Papale, the team's leading scorer (13.7 per game), finished with 16 points. Cheddi Mosely recorded 11 points while Kyle Foreman notched nine points and six assists.

BU was outrebounded 41-28, including a 21-5 disadvantage to Canisius on the offensive glass. In the first half, Canisius scored 43 points to BU's 24 to secure the win.

Mosely sits second in scoring with 13.5 points per game followed by Fanning with 12.6. Fanning grabs 5.8 rebounds a contest while Foreman dishes out 4.6 assists.

Head coach Joe Jones is in his fifth season with the Terriers and holds a BU record of 75-63 heading into this game. He led BU to a regular season title in 2013-14 and coached a Terrier team in the 2014 National Invitation Tournament and the 2013 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

All-Time Series
The Wildcats trail in the all-time series, 92-38, but are coming off a win against the Terriers a season ago. UNH defeated BU at home, 75-68, on Nov. 25, 2014 led by Dion's 23-point effort. New Hampshire has not won at BU going back to Feb. 15, 2012 in a 56-54 win.

Locked In Leissner
Forward Leissner totaled his sixth-career double-double, third of the season, in the 100-66 win against division III Worcester St. Leissner leads the team with three 20+-point performances this season after recording just one last year against Colgate (Dec. 14). The 2015 America East Rookie of the Year averages 15.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and shoots 46.5 percent from the field per game. Leissner is second in the conference in points per game and ranks sixth in rebounds per game. He sat out because of injury against Brown, American and Bryant and scored 14 points in his return at Abilene Christian.

Tough Time Shooting
The Wildcats held Dartmouth to 28.1 percent shooting on 16 made baskets last game. That is the lowest percentage an opponent was held to this season since the season opener against Lyndon State College (21.9 percent) in an 82-45 win. Additionally, UNH hasn't held an opponent below 38.0 percent all season except for those two instances.

Casual Camara
Forward Camara tallied his fourth double-double this season in the win against Worcester St. to rank 46^th in the nation in double-double performances. The sophomore averaged just 3.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last year and has increased the total to 10.1 points and 10.3 rebounds this season. Camara leads the team with six 10+ rebound games through 11 contests and ranks 22^th in the country in rebounds per game. The Senegal native is one of two athletes in the conference to average a double-double this year.

Score, Score Score
UNH is 5-0 when 4+ scorers finish with 10+ points in a game. In the season opener, Leissner, Camara, Smith and freshman Pat McNamara (Arlington Heights, Ill.) eclipsed the 10-point threshold. In the 100-point outburst against Worcester St., Leissner, Camara, Dion, Jordan, Bramanti, Armstrong and McNamara scored 10+ points. At Holy Cross, the first foursome completed the feat again followed by five 10+ scorers at Brown. In the Wildcats third 80+-point scoring game against Abilene Christian, Leissner, Smith, Dion and Jordan all pitched in double-figures.

Fives Alive
Dion has a knack for scoring (10.4 per game), something he's had since arriving at UNH. He scored a season-high 16 points at Abilene Christian (Dec. 3) in his first start this season and at Colgate (Dec. 13). The 6-foot scorer uses his quickness and creative offense to open space for his quick release (38.6 percent). He totaled double-digit scoring in four straight games from Dec. 3 to Dec. 13. During his sophomore season, the Texas native tallied 9.2 points per game after a freshman season where he scored 8.2 per contest.

Let's Go Home
The men's basketball team scheduled a trip to Texas this season to tackle Abilene Christian (Dec. 3; 8 p.m.) and Southern Methodist University (Dec. 5; 1:30 p.m.) to give the six Texas natives on the team a chance to play in front of family and friends. The five-day trip consisted of an 86-75 win over Abilene Christian, the program's first win in the state of Texas, and a 98-44 loss to No. 22 Southern Methodist.

Strong Play
Armstrong poured in a personal-best 26 points, a season-high for a Wildcat, in an 88-77 win at Brown followed by a 22-point outburst against American to lead all scorers. He made his season debut at UConn where he totaled seven points, five rebounds, a steal and an assist off the bench. At Holy Cross, he notched seven points, and four rebounds on 3 of 5 shooting from the field. This season, the 2015 America East All-Conference Third Team member is scoring 11.6 points and corralling 4.4 rebounds per game.

Flu Game
While battling the flu, Armstrong tallied 14 points and collected four rebounds to defeat the Bryant Bulldogs (Nov. 30), 75-67. He shot 6 of 10 from the floor and nailed his single 3-pointer attempt. The tri-captain also played 35 minutes in a starting role, the largest workload for the forward this season.

Let's Hit The Road
UNH won three straight road games for the first time since the 2005-06 season with wins over the College of the Holy Cross (Nov. 19; 73-69), Brown University (Nov. 24; 88-77) and Abilene Christian (Dec. 3; 86-75). The Wildcats never scored more than 75 points during the 2005-06 streak as they totaled two in the three-game stretch this season.

Old Man On The Mountain
As the lone senior this season, Jordan leads by example on the court. The Texas native poured in a career-best 17 points against Dartmouth on 7 of 11 shooting. At Abilene Christian, the guard scored a then career-high 16 points on 7 of 10 shooting in his sixth start of the season. Jordan averages 8.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.

The Lone Star State
UNH has seven individuals from the state of Texas. Armstrong, freshman Andrew Dotson (Arlington, Texas), Dion, Jordan, Leissner, transfer Jordan Reed (Lucas, Texas) and Smith all chose the chilly New England weather over the hot lone star state.

Double-Double Dose
UNH student-athletes have tallied seven double-doubles through 10 games, led by Camara who has four. Leissner has two double-doubles followed by Smith with one. Just a year ago, the Wildcats had five double-double stat lines in 32 games played. Leissner led UNH with four during 2014-15. Camara has been close to a double-double three additional times this season. He was two-points shy at Bryant, one rebound away against Colgate and a point short against Dartmouth.

3-Point D
Against Bryant, UNH held the Bulldogs to 17.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc, tying the season-low mark set in the home opener against Division III Lyndon St. (Nov. 13). This was the lowest percentage an opponent was held to since Jan. 22, 2015 when the University of Vermont was held to 16.7 percent (3 of 18) from beyond the arc. Bryant shot 2 of 11 in the first half and 1 of 6 in the final frame.

Mac Truck
McNamara is shooting 46.3 percent from beyond the arc this season, and went a season-high 6-for-9 on 3-pointers at Holy Cross with five in the second half. The Illinois native scored 11 points on 4 of 10 shooting, including three treys, in the season opener against Lyndon State College. Last season, the Wildcats topped the league in 3-point field-goal percentage with a 37.4 percent mark. UNH looks to continue that trend, shooting 35.4 percent so far through 11 games.

Zeroed In
Smith totals 13.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and leads the 'Cats with 4.6 assists per contest. The junior leads the team in free-throw percentage, shooting 96.9 percent from the line (31 of 32). The floor general paces the squad in minutes with 36 per game. Smith recorded his first double-double of the season, second of his career, in the 82-45 season-opening win against Lyndon State University. In the program's first victory over Bryant University, Smith scored a career-high 23 points (7 of 13) in 40 minutes of action.

Wildcat Captains
Smith, Armstrong and Bramanti bring leadership to the Wildcats this season. Bramanti returns to captaincy after last year's role produced a balanced team. Smith and Armstrong join Bramanti in their junior seasons, all with UNH, with a combined 3,000+ minutes of game time.

Burn Baby Burn
Sophomore Keon Burns (Beaverton, Ore.) has started in 6 of 11 games this season and averages 4.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. The 6-foot, 4-inch guard poured in a career-high 10 points and six rebounds against Brown (Nov. 24). Burns' father Jack played hoops at UNH from 1978-82.

Scoring Jump
Leissner and Smith averaged 10 + points a game a year ago, improving the Wildcat offense from last place in the conference in 2013-14 (57.8 ppg) to first in the conference in 2014-15 (67.1 ppg). The +9.3 scoring increase is first among the most improved division I teams from last season, where the 'Cats finished tied for sixth for most improved team with +13 wins.

Herrion Wins Again
Head coach Bill Herrion has won 124 games while a head coach at UNH and now ranks second all-time on the coaching wins' list. He overtook William Cowell (1916-28), who won 119 games throughout his 12-year coaching career, in a 73-69 win over Holy Cross (Nov. 19). Next on the list is Gerry Friel (1969-89), who tallied 185 wins in 20 years of leadership.

Look Ma, I'm On TV
The Wildcats are set to play five ESPN3 games, two at home, and three television games in 2015-16. Additionally, New Hampshire played on SportsNet New York (SNY) when they took on the University of Connecticut (Nov. 17; 7 p.m.), was broadcasted on WBIN Classics and Fox College Sports on Dec. 19 (1 p.m.) against Dartmouth College in Lundholm and lastly will be covered by Fox College Sports on Jan. 16 (1 p.m.) against Stony Brook University in Durham. The ESPN3 contests was at Southern Methodist University (Dec. 5; 1:30 p.m.), will be at Boston College (Dec. 30; 2 p.m.), at UMass Lowell (Jan. 21; 7 p.m.), against the University of Vermont (Jan. 27; 7 p.m.) and against the University of Albany (Feb. 11; 7 p.m.).

New 'Cats in Town
New Hampshire welcomes four newcomers to the roster this season. Dotson was the 2014-15 District Offensive MVP in his area during his senior year, averaging 20.3 points per game. McNamara averaged 18 points per game in his senior season and was a regional champion, and All-Conference and All-Area selection. Forward David Watkins (Dorchester, Mass.) who was a top-30 player in New England last year. He received the most valuable player award in both junior and senior season at Brimmer and May School. Reed is a transfer from Rice University and played in 12 games but will have to sit out this season because of transfer regulations.

Graduation Success Rate
The Wildcats received a perfect GSR of 100 percent in the NCAA report released on Nov. 4. Men's basketball was one of four New Hampshire programs that had the unblemished rating. The team was tied for first in the America East conference against other basketball squads in the conference. All 20 UNH athletic programs as a whole recorded a GSR of 90 percent.

2014-15 America East Award Winners
Joining Leissner, Armstrong was an America East All-Conference Third Team member with Matt Miller who joined the coaching staff after graduation. Bramanti was an All-Defensive Team selection and Smith was named to the All-Championship Team for his play during the tournament.

2015-16 America East Weekly Award Winners
Iba Camara – Player of the Week (Nov. 16)

Miller Moves On
After Miller was denied a sixth season as a Wildcat, the team decided to add him to the coaching staff to help build the team for a title run. Miller was a key cog to the success last season, leading the America East in 3-point field goal percentage (48.1 percent) and ranking second in threes made (63). He finished his UNH career ranked 10th in threes made in a season and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage in a season. Additionally, Miller's shooting finishes second in the UNH record books for career 3-point field goal percentage.

Wildcats on the Air
The Wildcat Sports Radio Network will broadcast a total of 15 UNH men's basketball regular-season games during the 2015-16 season and will air the games for the America East Championships. Jim Jeannotte, 23-time New Hampshire Sportscaster of the Year handles the play-by-play. Mike Murphy, a five-time winner of the New Hampshire Sportscaster of the Year award, does the color commentating.

The Wildcat Sports Radio Network affiliates include (times/dates subject to change):

WPKX-AM - 930 - Rochester

WGIR-AM - 610 - Manchester

Live Stream - Stretch Internet - UNHWildcats.com

Here is the complete radio schedule:
Nov. 13 vs. Lyndon St. (7:30 p.m.) – W, 82-45
Nov. 19 at Holy Cross (7 p.m.)- W, 73-69
Nov. 28 vs. American (12 p.m.), L, 68-50
Nov. 30 vs. Bryant (7 p.m.), W, 75-67
Dec. 19 vs. Dartmouth (1 p.m.), W, 76-56
Dec. 21 at Boston U. (7 p.m.)
Dec. 30 at Boston College (2 p.m.)
Jan. 9 vs. Binghamton (1 p.m.)
Jan. 16 vs. Stony Brook (1 p.m.)
Jan. 24 vs. Hartford (1 p.m.)
Jan. 27 vs. Vermont (7 p.m.)
Feb. 8 vs. Maine (7 p.m.)
Feb. vs. 11 UAlbany (7 p.m.)
Feb. 17 vs. UMass Lowell (7 p.m.)
Feb. 27 vs. UMBC (12 p.m.)

The Wildcats are 4-1 overall when radio is broadcasting.

Preseason Predictions
New Hampshire was selected to finish fourth in the conference this season with 47 points. Leissner was named to the Preseason All-Conference Team as well, the only non-senior selected to the team.

Men's Hoops Media Center
To check out career numbers, year-by-year results, alumni roster and much more, head over to the men's basketball page at UNHWildcats.com and look under the additional links tab to find the media center link.

Looking Ahead
New Hampshire takes a little break for the holiday season before heading back into Boston to tackle Boston College on Wednesday, Dec. 30 (7 p.m.) on ESPN3. The Wildcats host Binghamton University on Saturday, Jan. 9 to begin the 2016 year and America East play.

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